The role of the microbiome in mucosal inflammation.

The microbiome plays an important role in maintaining human health. Despite multiple factors being attributed to the shaping of the human microbiome, extrinsic factors such diet and use of medications including antibiotics appear to dominate. Mucosal surfaces, particularly in the gut, are highly adapted to be able to tolerate a large population of microorganisms while still being able to produce a rapid and effective immune response against infection. The intestinal microbiome is not functionally independent from the host mucosa and can, through presentation of microbe-associated molecular patterns and generation of microbial-derived metabolites, fundamentally influence mucosal barrier integrity and modulate host immunity. In a healthy gut there is an abundance of beneficial bacteria that help to preserve intestinal homeostasis, promote protective immune responses and limit excessive inflammation. The importance of the microbiome is further highlighted during dysbiosis where a loss of this finely-balanced microbial population can lead to mucosal barrier dysfunction, aberrant immune responses, and chronic inflammation that increases the risk of disease development. Improvements in our understanding of the microbiome are providing opportunities to harness members of a healthy microbiome to help reverse dysbiosis, reduced inflammation and ultimately prevent disease progression